This is really interesting! I don't have any explanations, just an observation. Your override clears 'details except for 'ratio. Using the entire default list and commenting out entries one by one leads to some interesting results. Below is where the "flying ties" stop. (You get some variation with the remaining lines, too.)
Not sure what it means, but maybe this observation is useful for correcting a bug, if such it is.
\version "2.15.36"
\paper {
#(set-paper-size "a7")
}
musicA = \relative a' {
\key des \major
<a d f>1~^"default" \break
q1
}
musicB = \relative a' {
\key des \major
\override Tie #'details =
#'(
;(ratio . 0.333)
;(center-staff-line-clearance . 0.6)
;(tip-staff-line-clearance . 0.45)
;(note-head-gap . 0.2)
;(stem-gap . 0.35)
;(height-limit . 1.0)
;(horizontal-distance-penalty-factor . 10)
;(same-dir-as-stem-penalty . 8)
;(min-length-penalty-factor . 26)
;(tie-tie-collision-distance . 0.45)
;(tie-tie-collision-penalty . 25.0)
;(intra-space-threshold . 1.25)
;(outer-tie-vertical-distance-symmetry-penalty-factor . 10)
(outer-tie-length-symmetry-penalty-factor . 10)
(vertical-distance-penalty-factor . 7)
(outer-tie-vertical-gap . 0.25)
(multi-tie-region-size . 3)
(single-tie-region-size . 4)
(between-length-limit . 1.0)
)
<a d f>1~^"dummy override" \break
q1
}
\score {
\new Staff {
\musicA \break \musicB
}
}